Debt Or No Debt?
by Ghostwriter
Summary: AU. Matt has to decide what to do when Justin Voight causes an accident.
1. The Accident

DEBT OR NO DEBT?

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Came about from an RP I did with someone and makes Matt's past AU. Takes place during "Professional Courtesy" and some lines are from the episode itself. Belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC.

As Kelly and the rest of the crew went to check on the passengers in the van, Matt headed for the sedan that had hit the vehicle.

"It's jammed!" an officer on the scene reported and Matt used a crowbar to get the door unhinged. Moments later, a man around Matt's age came staggering out of the car.

"I'm okay. I'm all right," he said drunkenly and the firefighter grabbed him angrily. He couldn't believe this.

"JUSTIN, WHAT THE HELL!? YOUR DAD'S GONNA FLIP KITTENS!" he shouted, shoving him.

"What, you know this kid?" the officer queried, getting in between them.

"His father saved my life," Matt responded. _Damn it! What am I supposed to do? I can't betray Hank! But he's drunk as a skunk_, he thought to himself. And the empty beer cans in the backseat didn't really help his case much. Then, his attention was diverted as Hermann shouted from the van. "Watch him," he growled, thrusting Justin at the officer. He then ran towards the others and helped them to stabilize the vehicle as well as get the passengers to safety. Afterwards, he came back to find the officer alone.

"Where is he?"

"He was taken to the hospital."

"What?" Had Justin been hurt more than he thought? Great. Hank was going to love **that**.

"He was complaining of leg pain and you guys looked swamped over there," the officer answered.

"Then he should've been C-collard and transported properly," he snapped. If anything happened to Justin, Hank would have a field day with him.

"My bad," the officer conceded and Matt let out a frustrated growl as he turned around. As he did so, he caught sight of a man talking to a small group of officers. _Hank_, he thought. They had to talk. He had to figure out what to do. Blowing out a breath, he walked up to them.

"Hank," he said.

"Matty, your house caught this?" Hank queried and the firefighter nodded.

"He was drunk, Hank. He could've killed someone," he responded tightly.

"I know," the detective stated quietly. _What the hell was Justin thinking? I don't need him pulling this kind of crap_, he thought.

"Look, I know what I saw, but say the word and I'll back your play," the younger man told him. Hearing this, the detective sighed. The truth was, he **had** been thinking about making this go away and blaming the other driver. But he couldn't now. Matt had already been through so much crap. He didn't need any more.

"Write what you saw," Hank said.

"Are you sure?" Matt checked. _Is he just saying this or does he mean it?_ he wondered.

"Write what you saw," Hank repeated. "I'll bag the beer cans," he told him. Matt nodded and then went on his way.


	2. Talk

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Second part. Again, some lines are taken from the ep. Belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC.

Matt's brows furrowed as he took the sign off the table. _Well, this was a bust_, he thought to himself. They hadn't gotten any hits for the t.v. and the guys were disappointed. Oh well. He supposed he could always DVR the game.

"Matty," a voice said and the firefighter jumped. He then let out a sigh when he saw who his visitor was.

"Hank, you scared the hell outta me," he said.

"Sorry," the detective apologized. "Let's have a drink," he said and Matt nodded and walked with him to the bar.

"What can I do for you, Hank?" Matt asked once they were at a booth.

"Look, you know I put a lot of time into my job and that I care a lot about protecting this city and the people in it," Hank stated.

"I'd be dead it wasn't for you. You went the extra mile. Got me safe…clean," the firefighter reminded

"Yeah, well, maybe it was too much. back then I wasn't home a lot and I took my eye off of Justin. But no more. I'm gonna start doing right by him and be up his ass, putting him in a program, the whole deal," the older man vowed.

"Good. He could've been hurt worse. As it is, the kid in the other car-" the firefighter began to say.

"Is paralyzed from the waist down. I know," the older man interrupted. "I can't believe Justin would do something so stupid," he added with a shake of his head. _How could he be so irresponsible? Did I really lose him that much?_ he wondered. "But that wasn't really what I wanted to talk about," he told him.

"What? Did something to happen?"

"Yeah. You were willing to lie for me and I can't accept that."

"Hank, I-"

"No. You're good at your job and I won't have you risking that."

"You saved my life, Hank. If it wasn't for you, Vincent Cordone would've killed me years ago." The younger man shook his head. "Probably would've deserved it considering everything I did." At this, the detective slammed his hand on the table.

"NO! It wasn't your fault! Cordone got you addicted and then made you work in his stable just so you could get your next fix. You listen to me. You're a good man. All that crap that happened-your mom killing your dad, Cordone getting you hooked on drugs and then pimping you out-you didn't ask for any of that. You got handed a raw deal then and you have a better life now. **Don't screw it up**." Matt blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I owe you everything," he stated softly and the other man shook his head.

"You don't owe me a damn thing, Matty. You've done good for yourself. You got to where you are all by yourself. I'm proud of you. You just keep being the man I know you are."

"Okay, Hank." Satisfied that he had gotten his point across, the detective nodded and then walked out of the bar, leaving the firefighter alone with his thoughts.


End file.
